CAUTION BLUES (BLUES IN THIRDS) - Free Jazz Leadsheet

“caution blues (blues in thirds)” is an early-jazz instrumental associated with 1920s Chicago and New Orleans players, built around a repeated third-interval motif that gives the tune its nickname. The earliest known recordings were made by small traditional bands experimenting with arranged riffs over a blues framework.

The tune continued through various traditional-jazz revivals thanks to its distinctive melodic hook and straightforward twelve-bar form. Its structure provides space for soloists to elaborate on the third-based theme while maintaining the ensemble’s characteristic collective improvisation.